18 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



ported. The White-throated Ground-Thrush has been 

 imiwrted more than once. Mr. Reginald Pliillipp.s 

 (The AiiruHural Matjazine, N.S., Vol. II.) writes a long 

 ac-count of the species (pp. 179 188). He tell us that 

 he obtained two males on tlie 8th Ootolier, 1902. and 

 says that, -although a great deal on the ground and 

 in low bushes, tliey are often on the liigher perches. 

 They prefer to roost on their natural twigs, sometimes 

 aboiit 3ft. to 4ft. from the ground, veiy often on the 

 highest available spot." 



Contrary to what Mr. Darling says of the s;ong. Mr. 

 Phillipi)s "say.-i " they snig from early dawn until nearly 

 dark for fully nine months out of the twelve" ; and. in 

 opposition to what Jerdon says about the song Wing 



He says that some experts during the summer give 

 nothing but fresh ants' eggs, others rich Nightingale 

 food and shredded tig.s, iind others, again, equal parts 

 of ants' eggs and white woi-ms moistened with grated 

 carrot. As I find that my own mixture, with fruit and 

 insects, seems to suit all kinds of insectivorous birdJs, 

 I .should think Russ's own suggestion as to the correct 

 food is good enough. 



Common Rock-Thrush (Monlkola foxaliUs). 



Male : Head and neck slate-blue ; mantle darker, 



varied with blackish brown ; lower part of back white; 



rump bluish slate; upper tail-coverts l)right orange; 



tail orange, excepting central feathers, which are pale 



TiiK 1!(ickTiihu.sh. 



not often heard, he says " their clear, ringing voices 

 have been cheering our hearts all through this dull, 

 cheerless winter, are falling on my ears now as I write, 

 and have this winter compelled the most captious of 

 my neighbours, however unwillingly, to admire the 

 glorious singing of the birds." 



In the bird -show at the Cry.stal Palace in January, 

 1905, Mr. Hawkin.s exhibited a .specimen of this si>ecic.<, 

 a drawing of wliich appeared in The Fnit/irr'd Wnrh/, 

 and it is possible that other examples may have been 

 imported. 



Rock'Thrushes (Monliroki). 



According to Russ, these birds should be fed upon a 

 general Thrush mixture and eight to fifteen mealworms 

 daily, or. instead of these, on various kinds of insects, 

 worms, slugs, berries, and various other kinds of fruit. 



brown with orange bases ; flights brown ; wing-coverts 

 darker, more or less fringed with white ; under surface 

 from throat downwards, including under tail-coverts 

 and axillaries, bright orange; bill, eyes, and feet dark 

 brown. Female : Mottled above with various shades 

 of brown : upper tail-coverts and tail orange ; below 

 buff, suffu.sed with pale orange and pale brown, less 

 distinctly mottled than al)Ove ; thro.at and breast 

 darker ; abdomen and crissum paler ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries orange. 



Habitat, mountains of Southern Europe and Central 

 Asia to South Siberia and China. It visits North and 

 East Afiica on migration, as well as the borders of 

 India and North Burma. J. I. S. Whitaker thinks it 

 probable that many examples remain in Tunisia to 

 brred. According to Mr. Meade-Waldo it breeds in 

 suitable localities in Morocco. He met with it at an 



